What dog would you reccomend for this kind of lifestyle?

2 bedroom house, narrow lounge area, large backyard with grass and concrete and large fences surrounding the entire garden.Cats at homesmall family away from home a few hours a day but willing to take dog on long walks on mountains and things and on weekends spend all day out with the dog.Firm and strong owner both mentally and physicallyWilling to socialize dog with other dogs and people from a young agethe dog has to be a natural guard dog breed and big for personel reasons.It also has to friendly and affectionate.reading this what kind of dog do YOU think would suit me, is it any of these belowBoerboel, Dogue De Bordeaux, Perro de Presa Canario, Cane corso,

Those breeds are all fairly rare, although they might suit you.Maybe a Doberman or Rottweiler?

Cane corsos are nice. Bull Mastiffs would be good too. You seem like a good owner for such breeds. If you go too www.dog breed info center.com it is really good and bout covers any dog breed you can think of plus it has a dog breed lifestyle quiz and will pair you with what dog breeds fit your life style. Good Luck!!

Akita.

My friends have a Cane Corso and he is a mush! He looks scary, but is the friendliest dog you can imagine. He doesn't need a lot of space, just a couple of long walks every day.

labrador retriever or golden retriever.

rottweiler or pitbull most likely both would be great regardless

I don't know Spanish breeds of dog, but I have a golden lab and it sounds like your description.

NOT A CHIHUAHUA!!! Get a lab, or a poodle, a beagle or even a miniature pinscher, because they'll socialize with kids. As I write this I am in a house with four kids and four dogs - 3 being chihuahuas and only ONE of those three socializes with the kids.

I am in a similar situation; a dog that I have heard of more recently is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. I have started to see them quite a bit around here. Talking to owners, they take some patients to train but they are great looking, very athletic, but happy to relax...check them out. Cane Corso may be put into the same category as pit-bulls and rotts soon- where home owners insurance will not cover you if you have one.I am also a big fan of Great Danes.

All of those breeds are fairly rare...Finding a good one might be hard...My first thought on seeing this was a rottweiler. They're great dogs, perfect for what you're thinking, and good family dogs! Just make sure you get one from a responsible person who has socialized their dogs andthat they have good personalities. Socialized and well trained, they're very sweet and playful dogs! They'll defend their owners if need be, and play extremely gently with children when told to. A pitbull would be exactly the same way(Providing you got it from a GOOD person-or a shelter!- and trained it well!) A lab, a german shepherd and dalmation might also be good.Just make sure you do your research with whichever breed you choose!

Not being familiar with the breeds you named, I am going to have to say the Doberman. Mine adore cats and have helped raise a couple bottle-fed kittens. They think the kitties are "theirs" and will let the cats walk all over them and even bite them. If the kitties run, they might chase, but when caught will just lick them.They love being around people (are called "velcro dogs" for a reason). You will not find a more affectionate dog IMHO. Will also scare strangers away and make you feel very safe. I have had Dobies for years. Both when my children were small and now when bunches of teens converge on my house. As long as I introduce people at the door, they will let people in with no problems. But beware the intruder!!!!I have even been a foster parent to babies and youngsters - I was worried as Dobermans have a fierce reputation, but the home inspection went great and we were approved despite having two HUGE dobermans. The dogs showed lots of love and affection for the inspector by sitting on the sofa next to her and demanding to be pet! I now have a 2 yr old granddaughter and the dogs will let her sit on them, pull ears, etc. Of course I am always careful that she does not hurt them and if they look upset I remove them from the room, and if they growl (very rare, but if they are sleeping they get grumpy when awakened rudely) I reprimand them severly.Small house is not a problem as the Dobe will find a place on your sofa or chair, probably squished up next to you. They are also happiest in your bed, or right next to it (all 3 of mine sleep with me - they are good bedfellows lol). They love walks and to play, and surprisingly are extrememely gentle with the aged and infirm. They do not like to be outside alone for long periods of time, especially in cold weather - but I find a large doggy door is a perfect solution.Also, their very short hair and minimal shedding is a bonus. They are very clean animals and smell very nice - mine even clean their paws like a cat. When bathed, they dry in minutes! I can't imagine having another breed after having experienced the love and devotion of the Doberman.

If you are allowed to have them where you live I would get a Pitbull.I live in Australia and this breed of dog has now been outlawed ( a few people ruin it for everyone else )Although I did once own one and if treated right they would have to be the best dog for you.When I had my Pitbull I caught my 2yr old with her arm literally down the dogs mouth trying to retrieve food she had fed him and he never once retaliated violently towards them , not even a growl.For security reasons he was great.One night a bloke jumped my fence and the dog just growled and the next thing we heard was someone screaming that the dog was coming over the fence after him and he just ran away screaming , it was hilarious.Another time friends left their surfboards in my garage because I lived down the road from the beach but when they showed up to get them the dog would not let them back out of the garage door , he just sat in the doorway and growled at them if they went to leave.They said they knew he wouldnt attack them as long as they didnt try and leave the garage.They were stuck in my shed for 30 mins until I got home.I heard them yelling for help as soon as I got out of the car.The funniest one was when a bloke running from the Police jumped over my fence and was quickly rounded up by my dog.The Police actually asked to buy the dog until they saw it was a Pitbull.Pitbulls are NOT the monsters they were made out to be , if anything my pitbull was a tongue on legs.He was more of a wouse than the staffy we have now.I would have bought another one if it wasnt for the government having to set laws to stop idiots from illegally fighting them.I also have a young family as well.We just had another baby

I think you need to do your own research into various breeds and figure out what breed you like and is suitable for you and your situation, if any. No one on the internet can tell you this. You need to go to shows/trials, meet these and other breeds - talk with breeders/fanciers knowledgeable about the breeds and see if you even really like them. Have you ever even personally been with one? Or are you just selecting based on pictures and other people's perspectives? I personally don't like any of these breeds for myself as I am not a fan of slobber and drool and bad joints and unsound movement and such but that is me and just like neither you nor anyone else on the internet can know what I like or dislike or what is suitable for me or not, no one can determine that for you. YOU have to do your homework and not try for a quick, convenient answer. This is a living creature that will be part of your family for many years to come so do a little more indepth study on them than you would on your next vehicle please.Also, know what the laws are in your area as well as what your homeowners insurance will allow without pulling out from under you... there are many things to consider prior to even deciding on getting a dog in the first place much less a breed that you want as a push button 'guard dog' -- you will always need to do a lot of training on a dog so are you ready for that? Do you have a good trainer lined up to teach you to properly train them and are you ready for the liability involved?

German ShepardRottweiler Mastiff Akita Mutt

A German Shepherd would meet your criteria. But so would a Rottie or a Dobe. They are all "natural guard dog breeds". In the end it all boils down to personal choice.

i think your every-day mastiff would be a good choice.in your choices in you include an african mastiff, a french mastiff, and an italian mastiff. even the canary dog is believed to be a mastiff cross.so what about a genuine english mastiff?your small house isn't a problem, they're generally more on the couch potato side when they're inside the home.your large yard would be great, they do need their exercise, and i'm sure your little hikes would be fun. (when a mastiff of any type is growing i certainly discourage such heavy activity, though, their joints already have enough strain on them with such heavy bodies.)they're actually several (4+) inches taller than italian mastiffs and can be twice the weight (healthily), a good 60 pounds heavier than the french mastiff (healthily), a couple inches taller than the african mastiff, and twice the weight and a good 5+ inches taller than the canary dog.they want to make you happy, but it can be tough to motivate them, so a strong leader's important. especially if you don't mind wrestling with him! (;their prey drive is relatively low, and especially if raised with the cats, you should have no problem with the cats.they're EXCELLENT family dogs, they really need to be with people. they're giant lapdogs, and all mastiff owners know all about a weird custom of all mastiffs -- laying at their owner's feet, usually with their head literally on the feet. it's important, as with any dog, to properly socialize them, so of course it's good you're willing to do that. an unsocialized mastiff is NOT something that you want! provided they're well-socialized, the mastiff will generally accept any person you approve of. however, if you don't approve of a person, or the mastiff doesn't think the person should be there (such as a person breaking in!), he'll make sure to do something about it. however, unlike many breeds, mastiffs aren't known for attacking. what they do is corner the intruder and keep him cornered until you return! they bark at suspicious things (their bark is THUNDER).plus, they're much more common than the exotic mastiffs, so they'd probably be a lot cheaper.there are small differences in the other mastiffs that might make them not-so-compatible.(for example:the canary dog can be a real challenge to novice owners. they can be very stubborn and sometimes aggressive.italian mastiffs are a little more known for separation anxiety.french mastiffs are a bit more known to be prone to aggressiveness.the african mastiff can be extremely destructive when left alone for periods of time and can be a bit aggressive.of course, aggressiveness is something that usually results from poor socialization.you also may have more trouble owning one of these breeds due to unfortunate negative publicity. the african mastiff was shown on the dogwhisperer show; the problem was entirely due to an incompetent owner, but it still put the sweet-hearted dog in a bad light. the canary dog, in the past, has been responsible for two publicized deaths. these shouldn't deter you, though -- i'm just saying you'll probably come across someone who thinks your dog is a monster -- a very uneducated moron of a person!the french mastiff did get some great publicity, though, when one starred in the movie "turner & hooch.")